Share this:

Just as he was criticizing U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, for using New York as a “doormat” on her way to the White House, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer said the senator would make “a tremendous candidate for president of theÂ United StatesÂ - but not at the expense of New Yorkers.”

This came during the opening moments of the second – and last – U.S. Senate debate between Clinton and her GOP challenger.

Pressed to elaborate on what he meant, a somewhat flustered Spencer tried to undo the damage:

“Absolutely. If she believes she’s an excellent candidate for president. I wouldn’t be voting for her. But, you know, I believe in a Democratic process, that she has experience as a First Lady.

“Of course, who am I? I think many people could be excellent candidates. I’m not endorsing her, obviously. I am asking people to vote for me, and not to vote for her in New York state, because I want to be the six-year, full-time 24/7 working feverishly for the people of New York on broken campaign promises and lack of attention of the United State senator.”

Spencer later said he liked Clinton, and had worked with her while he was mayor, but disagreed with her ideologically.

“From a Republican point of view, she would be an excellent candidate, because we’d beat her,” said Spencer, who refused to pledge he would not seek another term as Yonkers mayor, adding: “I’m a private citizen; don’t limit my options.”

Clinton continued to side-stepÂ questions on whether she would promiseÂ to serve out all six years of the next Senate term – a pledge she willingly made when she first ran in 2000. As she did during the first debate Friday in Rochester, Clinton insisted she has not yet made up her mind about running for president in 2008 -Â a move most of the nation – if not the world – sees as a foregone conclusion.

“I am not looking past this election,” Clinton said. “I am going to work as hard as I can to represent the people of New York…I can’t make a decision now. I have made no decisions. But if that concerns any voters, they should factor that in to the vote that they make.”

Asked whether she was trying to tell people not to vote for her if they believed she might run for president, Clinton demurred:

“I think they should vote for me,” she said. “If it is a concern, and if people are, you know, thinking about it, then they should balance that against everything that I’ve done: my record, my values, my commitment to standing up for New York.”

The rest of the debate was fairly tame – again, no fireworks and no personal questions. Clinton took a swipe at Spencer for raising taxes, spending and debt during his eight-yearÂ term as Yonkers mayor (1996-2004). Spencer accused her of being too partisan and blaming President Bush and the Republican leadership in D.C. for her own failures.

On the Iraq War, Clinton refused to apologize outright for her vote to authorize the president to use force – “I’m not one for do-overs in life” – but said she didn’t believe there would have been no vote – or a war, for that matter – “if we knew then what we know now.”

“The President chose this war, and unfortunately, even given his desire to wage it, was ill-prepared for what needed to be done in order to be successful,” Clinton said.

Spencer said he believes in a “strategy of victory” in Iraq, adding: “We must prevail. We must get Iraq to be stabilized. I’m glad to see the tactics are shifting, and that President Bush and his generals are putting in all this time…We want the troops home. I was one of those troops. But we must win, and we must come up with a strategy together as Americans and unite on the homefront.”

Clinton seemed to bristle at Spencer’s accusation that she is too partisan, stressing her efforts to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans – she mentioned Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, of Tennessee, and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, of Texas, in particular.

But she also refused to back down from her criticism of the Bush administration, saying she feels it’s her “duty as a United States senator” to do so.

“I am not going to apologize for taking on the administration and the Republican majority because I think they need to be held accountable,” Clinton said. Â

Clinton also responded to a comment made last week by Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Clinton’s potential rival for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, former North Carolina U.S. Sen. John Edwards. Elizabeth Edwards said the choices she had made in her life had made her more “joyful” than Clinton. She has since apologized for that statement.

“I love my life,” Clinton said, adding that she feels “grateful” and “blessed” for her family, specfically mentioning her daughter, Chelsea; her husband, former President Bill Clinton; and her mother.

President Clinton, who did not attend Friday’s debate, accompanied his wife to WABC-TV studios in ManhattanÂ Sunday morning. The couple was met outside the station by Green Party members protesting the lack of inclusion in the debate of their U.S. Senate candidate, Howie Hawkins, as well as a horde of screaming, sign-waving supporters.

The presidentÂ and the senator ignored the protesters, shook hands with well-wishers and took no questions from reporters. They were whisked away in a black SUV with tinted windows.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.